WASHINGTON, Nov 9: Nato may take over the leadership of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan next autumn, German Defence Minister Peter Struck said on Saturday.

Struck told reporters during a visit to Washington there was a chance that the military alliance would take over leadership of ISAF in September 2003 when joint German and Dutch leadership ended.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Nato Secretary-General George Robertson had already voiced their support, he said. But France was concerned about flying a “Nato flag in Kabul”, as French leaders felt that providing a security assistance force for Afghanistan was not Nato’s task.

Rumsfeld had promised to help rid France of any worries. Germany and the Netherlands have already prepared the way for such a move by taking over the command from Turkey in February 2003.

The Lower House of the German parliament will decide on the mandate in December. Struck recommended prolonging it for nine months.

“It would be a help to us, if we could begin searching for a successor to take over the leadership as early as March,” Struck said.

He added: “I do not want to wander like a beggar through the international community.” It was a question of what would happen if Nato did not take an active role. “Are the Japanese or the Chinese to be asked then?” Struck asked.—dpa